Tgif is a weekly meme hosted and created by Ginger at Greads. This feature lets us wrap up the week and also poses a weekly question pertaining to blogging, books and what have you. This weeks question is:
Spooktacular Reads: Which books do you consider festive Halloween reads? Which Stories have chilled you to the bone?
Today Im combining Tgif with the Bookie Brunch Tour and sharing five great reads for Halloween!
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
When the beautiful and precocious sisters Sally and Gillian Owens are orphaned at a young age, they are taken to a small Massachusetts town to be raised by their eccentric aunts, who happen to dwell in the darkest, eeriest house in town. As they become more aware of their aunts' mysterious and sometimes frightening powers -- and as their own powers begin to surface -- the sisters grow determined to escape their strange upbringing by blending into "normal" society. But both find that they cannot elude their magic-filled past. And when trouble strikes -- in the form of a menacing backyard ghost -- the sisters must not only reunite three generations of Owens women but embrace their magic as a gift -- and their key to a future of love and passion. Funny, haunting, and shamelessly romantic, Practical Magic is bewitching entertainment.
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
Larson tells the stories of two men: Daniel H. Burnham, the architect responsible for the fair's construction, and H.H. Holmes, a serial killer masquerading as a charming doctor.
Burnham's challenge was immense. In a short period of time, he was forced to overcome the death of his partner and numerous other obstacles to construct the famous "White City" around which the fair was built. His efforts to complete the project, and the fair's incredible success, are skillfully related along with entertaining appearances by such notables as Buffalo Bill Cody, Susan B. Anthony, and Thomas Edison. The activities of the sinister Dr. Holmes, who is believed to be responsible for scores of murders around the time of the fair, are equally remarkable. He devised and erected the World's Fair Hotel, complete with crematorium and gas chamber, near the fairgrounds and used the event as well as his own charismatic personality to lure victims.
Blackbird House by Alice Hoffman
On a small farm on the outer reaches of Cape Cod is a place that is as bewitching and alive as the characters we meet: Violet, a brilliant girl who is in love with books and with a man destined to betray her; Lysander Wynn, attacked by a halibut as big as a horse, certain that his life is ruined until a boarder wearing red boots arrives to change everything; Maya Cooper, who does not understand the true meaning of the love between her mother and father until it is nearly too late. From the time of the British occupation of Massachusetts to our own modern world, family after family’s lives are inexorably changed, not only by the people they love but by the lives they lead inside Blackbird House. These interconnected narratives are as intelligent as they are haunting, as luminous as they are unusual. Inside Blackbird House more than a dozen men and women learn how love transforms us and how it is the one lasting element in our lives. The past both dissipates and remains contained inside the rooms of Blackbird House, where there are terrible secrets, inspired beauty, and, above all else, a spirit of coming home.
**Do you see I have a thing with Alice Hoffman...honestly you could read any of her books and fit them into the fall/Halloween feel....my personal favorite is Practical Magic but I love all of Hoffmans books which have a flair for magic and the tone of fairy tales.
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Sometimes scholars should be more careful: Youthful researcher Diana Bishop briefly consults an medieval alchemical manuscript; then, after jotting down a few notes, sends it back to its prison in the stacks. Unfortunately for Diana, her quick dabbling has unleashed a long suppressed curse—and now only she can break the spell. Carefully researched, this debut novel will appeal to fans of historical novel infused with strong paranormal elements.
And....for a great chill you to the bone read:
Pet Sematary by Stephen King
When Louis Creed & his family move from Chicago into a beautiful old house in rural Maine, it all seems too good to be true: physician father, beautiful wife, charming little daughter, adorable infant son--and now an idyllic home. As a family, they've got it all...right down to the friendly cat. The road in front of their home frequently claims the lives of neighborhood pets. Near their house, local children have created a cemetery for the dogs & cats killed by the steady stream of transports on the busy highway. Deeper in the woods lies another graveyard, an ancient Indian burial ground whose sinister properties Louis discovers when the family cat is killed.
Stephen King is responsible for changing the face of literature for me at the tender age of 13. I devoured his books like mad and to this day still hate gray cats, clowns, sewer drains, head boards, abandoned hotels and Saint Bernard's!!!!!
The Saturday Spotlight- Win Coffee at Little Angels
Bookie Brunch Hop- Sweet Treats
Shelf Cravings
Bookie Brunch Hop- Halloween Movies
Book Spotlight-Attracted to Fire
Tgif-Bookie Brunch Halloween Books
Have a safe and fun Halloween weekend~we are doing all the fun stuff- carving pumpkins, baking pumpkin seeds and drinking my delicious mulled apple cider. Im also reading Daughter of Smoke and Bone and for my "catching up on all the shows I've missed marathon" Im starting Sons of Anarchy.
I love alice Hoffman books and Happy Halloween and Been hooked now on SOA. Loved Daughter of Smoke and Bone ...ah Brimstone
ReplyDeleteOoooo Pet Sematary, that movie used to scare the life out of me! I haven't read the book though, I think the only Stephen King book I've actually made it all the way through was The Shining. And that was because I had to write a 20-page paper on it:) I'm such a wuss.
ReplyDeleteOh, and YAY JAX!!!!! He's so delicious in Sons of Anarchy!
LOVED "The Devil in the White City". I can't believe it's a true story. A serial killer that was under everyone's noses and no one had a clue! Great picks, Tina!
ReplyDeleteOk, so Hoffman's writing is beautiful and I haven't done Blackbird House, but I love how she tracks through generations of families.
ReplyDeleteAlso, LOVED A Discovery of Witches. Can not wait for the next book to come out in 2012!
I haven't read any of these, but they look good. I love the movie Pet Cemetery, so I am sure I would like the book too!
ReplyDeletePeggy
My Friday Features
I love your blog, I just might pass out at the gorgeousness.
ReplyDeleteAnd great picks! I've been curious about Devil in the White City!
xo,
Lah @ LazyGirl Reads
I totally borrowed The Devil in the White City years ago & still haven't read it. I so need to.
ReplyDeleteI mentioned Practical magic the movie in my TGIF post because I just watched it. I forgot it was a book! I need to read that! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteOkay, now I feel like the biggest loser on the planet because I haven't read any Alice Hoffman. :(
ReplyDeleteWill have to check her out.
Oh, and did I tell you I netflix'd Friday Night Lights. Just finished the first season. GAH!!! Can't wait for more, but now you have me all curious about Sons. Will I ever catch up on life? *sighs*
Happy Friday, T!
Wow girl great stuff!! I loved practical magic the movie totally need to read the book. I totally love anything Stephen King he is so spooktastic. Also sounds like a great weekend. I loved loved loved Daughter of Smoke and Bone!!! Just finished it not to long ago. Also I love Sons of Anarchy Jaz yum!!!1
ReplyDeletelol Have a great weekend!
Me and Stephen King don't get along. This is mostly due to the fact that I'm scared of many a thing. However, I absolutely adore PRACTICAL MAGIC and I had no idea it was a book. That cover is seriously amazing. I can't wait to read it and get even more freaked out!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Halloween book of all time is a children's book. It's called HUMBUG WITCH by Lorna Balian. It's adorable. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Ohhhhh, Pet Sematary! Very scary. It is on my list of scary movies to watch this month. I read the book too, as always, the books are always better than the movies. The Shining and IT were 2 that scared the creepers out of me!
ReplyDeleteI love SOA!! Jax is soooo HOT!
ReplyDeletePet Semetary is intriguing. I'm quite ashamed to admit that I've never read any Stephen King books. Must remedy that.
ReplyDeleteAlice Hoffman and Steven King! Two great Halloween authors! :)
ReplyDeleteI love Alice too. You're are so right. Her books always feel like Halloween.
ReplyDeleteI usually love watching PM @ Halloween.
I loved Practical Magic and A Discovery of Witches!!! I need to read more Alice Hoffman!!
ReplyDelete♥ Melissa @ Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf
I have never read a Stephen King book in my life (except for his one about writing). I have memories of my mother reading his novels growing up. She'd be too scared to sleep with the lights off, but yet she couldn't put the book down. I did see the movie Pet Cemetary though. OMG! That was the movie that convinced me horror was just not my genre. I had never been so scared in my life. Never.
ReplyDeleteI need to pick up more Alice Hoffman. Oh and I haven't read a Stephen King book. My friends who aren't big wimps like me love this scary books... so I haven't read one. :D
ReplyDeleteAll these books look so good! Thanks for the great post! Happy Halloween!
ReplyDelete@Melissa- You read so much PNR though and some of that is pretty scary so you could prob do a SK- maybe some of his mild stuff like Firestarter or Carrie.
ReplyDelete@Joy @Julie(V)@Jenny @Peggy- I watched the movie when I was 14 and it scared me to death too....the Zelda in the back room...damaged me for life!!!!
@Juju @Melissa @Julie(5) @Annette @Lily @Sara- We all seem to be on the same page about Alice and PM...:D
@Jenny @Ashley @Laura- I watched the first two episodes and I must say Jax even for a blonde is pretty smoking!!!
@Missie- You must read an Alice book very soon!! Id say try Practical Magic or The Story Sisters. I also just finished The DoveKeepers, but thats not really classic Alice. Friday Night lights... isn't it great!!? I loved that show so much! So far this year Ive caught up on that show, Lost, The Walking Dead, Veronica Mars and Army Wives.....I dont think anything so far can come close to Lost but I really loved FNL.
@AmyKay-@Lah thanks you too..;)
@Ruhmanni @Amy- DinWC was so awesome and creepy...I cant wait to see the movie!!!
@Jen (ICB)- Practical Magic was a great movie but 180 degrees different from the book.....and as far as SK go's he is weird and scary....maybe you could handle some of his not so scary stuff like the book Different Seasons, Firestarter, Dolores Claiborne,Misery, Rose Madder, Bag of Bones or the Dark Tower books- those were not scary....:D
ReplyDelete